


wind at the back

by kornevable



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Bittersweet, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29760621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kornevable/pseuds/kornevable
Summary: Everything unfolds like a sweet painting, but the strength carrying Cherry Blossom across the route of S is similar to the wind of a storm.Joe has never stopped looking at Cherry.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 18
Kudos: 114





	wind at the back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello this short fic might as well be called "exes who are yearning"... I love these two idiots.
> 
> (8 episodes have aired as I post this fic)

It’s like watching spring burst into colors.

Flowers swaying with the gentle breeze, sending petals all across the sky to dot it with small pieces of life. Trees growing and welcoming back the birds that went away during winter. The fresh scent of nature claiming back the weather to erase its harsh edges.

Everything unfolds like a sweet painting, but the strength carrying Cherry Blossom across the route of S is similar to the wind of a storm. S has no secret for him; every curve is espoused, every obstacle is jumped over—nothing can curb the frenzy of his skating that takes everyone’s breath away.

Joe smiles to himself, observing with a calm mind the last leg of the race and how Cherry wiped the floor with his opponents. He never holds back, even against people who just joined S. He’s a constant in those races—his simple presence will make anyone want to overcome their limits and try to beat him to gain a title in these crazy, fast-moving runs where nothing is set in stone.

“Cherry is always so handsome,” one of the girls coos.

“And so cool,” another adds. “I never tire of watching him race.”

“Do you think we could ask him to remove his mask next time? I want to see his face while he skates!”

Joe snorts, and the girls look back at him with disdain. He holds up his hands in sign of innocence.

“Come on, lovelies, you know he won’t accept such a request,” he says. “Cherry likes to be difficult.”

“Well, it never hurts to ask,” the first girl replies petulantly.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t try anything funny. He’ll get real angry.”

The girls frown at him, but Joe simply winks and walks away. The next race is about to start, but he has no interest in watching it right now. He kicks into the ground and skates his way down to the finishing line, leisurely waving at people who are trying to catch his attention. An answering grin is often enough to satisfy them.

He’s not like Cherry. He doesn’t entrance people with his skating, though he inspires fear and admiration. His unusual style of skating and his strength alone are praised every time he finishes a race, and he must admit that it’s pleasant to hear these compliments. Everyone has their own abilities, and if being swallowed by the adrenaline of skating to the point of giving his all in a stupid daze is what’s attributed to him, then so be it. His body moves to satiate his need to feel the wind slapping his face and every patch of his skin.

He’s not surprised to see Cherry ride up, looking slightly bored and annoyed—but this expression is his default one.

“What?” Cherry says, coming to a halt.

“Hey, who says I was going to talk to you?” Joe replies with a roll of his eyes. “I could just be warming up for my next race.”

“Hmpf. If you call this sluggish skating a warm-up then you’re not serious about the race.”

Joe shrugs. “I like to keep things interesting.”

“Stop showing off.”

Cherry tries to skate past him, but Joe grabs his arm. Instantly Cherry pivots and tries to shove his hands on Joe’s face, and a scuffle like many others ensues, involving fists and aborted movements of arms reaching for hair or an ear or a shoulder. Passersby stare at them and shake their head.

“Why do you always resort to violence, you brute?” Joe grunts.

“ _I’m_ the brute? That’s rich coming from a gorilla,” Cherry snaps.

Even under his mask, his flush is visible. From exertion or anger or something else, Joe cannot tell; but he watches the way Cherry’s eyes shine with this familiar defiance, the exasperation that fused with his gaze whenever he’s having a conversation with Joe, cultivated over years of being each other’s shadows.

Joe feels himself shaken by the thought and the sight before him, and his cheeks burn without his permission. There is an uncomfortable lump sitting in his throat.

He must have stayed silent too long, because Cherry is raising an eyebrow at him, a question and a statement all at once. Joe is still holding one of Cherry’s wrists and Cherry is keeping Joe at arm’s length, as if the both of them don’t know whether to close or widen the gap between them. It’s a position that’s felt stagnant for years, now.

Perhaps he’s going to make a mistake. Hell if Joe knows; skating is about being driven, about practicing and being swept away by the rush of the race and the speed of the wind. Standing there in this frozen moment, on the mountain of S at Cherry’s side, it might as well be the same—his blood is thrumming while his heart is beating loudly and asking to be released from the cage of heavy, unnecessary thoughts.

Joe releases Cherry’s wrist, and lifts his hand to Cherry’s ear. Cherry stills and stares at him, surprise and shock and faint terror painting his face. This, too, is familiar. The scenery was the same but they were seven years younger, just starting on S and skating to prove something, to themselves or to each other, before everything fell into a dark abyss.

“What if…,” Joe says, but Cherry cuts in.

“Don’t start. Don’t you even dare start.” Cherry’s voice is ice and his eyes are colder still, but his voice is tinged with the tightness that Joe has learned is restraint. “It’s in the past. Let it go.”

Cherry pushes Joe’s hand away, his fingers curling around Joe’s with gentleness that is so uncharacteristic of him that Joe smiles.

“Yeah, of course. You’re always right,” Joe laughs.

Joe averts his gaze and drops both his arms. He’s never been good at concealing his feelings.

“We talked about this,” Cherry continues, tone softer. “…We changed.”

“Everyone changes,” Joe can’t help but retort bitterly. “But does everything change? Does your heart really change that much? You can’t lie to yourself, Kaoru.”

Cherry snorts and shoves Joe’s shoulder. He gets back on his skateboard, not meeting Joe’s eyes.

“That’s because I can’t lie to myself that we can’t be the same anymore.”

He pushes on his foot and rides up back the mountain, leaving Joe behind with a half-truth and a full loss. The wind picks up, cold but light. Joe sighs.

When he stops skating, he feels something is missing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments appreciated <3
> 
> / [twitter](https://twitter.com/kornetable)


End file.
